Flaamingos

On their self-titled debut full-length, L.A. synth-friendly duo Flaamingos present a dark perspective on pop, offering up shadowy melodies and gothic undertones in various shades of grey and black. Although the icy drum-machine rhythms and syncopated synthesizers make acts like New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Siouxsie and the Banshees easy reference points, the band injects the occasional shoegaze guitar blur and Radiohead-esque slurred vocal melody on tracks like the comparatively lighthearted "Fin du Monde." There's also a self-awareness in the robotic posturing of "Digital Dialogue" that keeps the song from being over-serious, much as there's a spirited bounce that exists alongside the dour, theatrical vocals of "She's Never Satisfied." Understated touches like this keep the album from being too unmoving or unremarkable in its depressive pop tendencies. ~ Fred Thomas